Albanians in southern Serbia

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There is an Albanian minority living in Central Serbia. They mainly live in the municipalities of Preševo (Albanian: Preshevë), and Bujanovac (Albanian: Bujanoc), as well as in the part of the municipality of Medveđa (Albanian: Medvegjë).

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Culture 4 Prominent individuals 5 References 6 See also 7 External link:

[edit] Geography

In the municipalities of Preševo and Bujanovac Albanians form the majority of population (89.1% in Preševo and 54.69% in Bujanovac according to the 2002 census). In the municipality of Medveđa, Albanians are second largest ethnic group (after Serbs), and their participation in this municipality was 28.67% in 1991 and 26.17% in 2002.

Some Albanians still refer to the region of those three municipalities as "Eastern Kosovo" (Albanian: Kosova Lindore). But the region of Bujanovac and Preševo is widely known as the Preševo Valley (Albanian: Lugina e Preshevës, Serbian: Preševska Dolina).

[edit] History

In 1992, the Albanians of southern Serbia organized a referendum in which they voted that Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac should join Kosovo. Between 1999 and 2001, an ethnic Albanian guerilla organization, the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (in Albanian Ushtria Çlirimtare e Preshevës, Medvegjës dhe Bujanocit, UÇPMB), was operational in this region with a goal to secede these three municipalities from Serbia and join them into an independent Kosovo. The activities attracted less international media interest than the related events of Kosovo and Macedonia.

[edit] Culture

Education in Albanian is provided for primary and secondary schools. There may be some university-level courses provided in Albanian, in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, but students mainly do their university degree in University of Priština, Kosovo, in Macedonia, or in Albania's Universities. .

Culture-wise Albanians living in this region are closely related to Albanians in Kosovo. Interestengly, their language dialect is Tosk and not Gheg as of Albanians in Kosovo.

The main religion of Albanians in this region is Islam.

[edit] Prominent individuals

• Riza Halimi, a politician, the former mayor of Preševo municipality.
• Jonuz Musliu, head of the UCPMB political wing.
• Skender Destani, pediatrician, leader of the Democratic Union of the Preševo Valley (DUD).

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Preševo Valley conflict
• Central Serbia
• Albanians in Kosovo
• Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia
• Albanians in the Republic of Montenegro
• UCPMB, Former guerilla Liberation Army of Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanoc

[edit] External link:

Southern Serbia: In Kosovo's Shadow [1]

Ethnic groups of Serbia

Demographic history of Serbia Bosniaks · Ethnic Muslims · Jews · Montenegrins · Romanians · Serbs · Serbians · Vlachs v • d • e Ethnic groups of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina Demographic history of Vojvodina Banat Bulgarians · Bunjevci · Croats · Danube Swabians (Banat Swabians) · Hungarians · Montenegrins · Pannonian Rusyns · Romanians · Serbs · Slovaks · Šokci · Székelys v • d • e Ethnic groups of UN-administered Kosovo Demographic history of Kosovo Albanians · Ashkali · Egyptians · Gorani · Janjevci · Montenegrins · Serbs v • d • e Other ethnic groups Albanians in Belgrade · Albanians in southern Serbia